Nuits Sonores kick off in Lyon

By
Euronews

The Nuits Sonores Music Festival in Lyon France, is a popular annual date for fans of all things techno, Indie and electronic. Over the six days of the festival more than 80,000 visitors are expected. Running in parallel with the festival is a forum called European Lab, designed to promote discussion about cultural challenges in Europe. Among other representatives of the great and good, former German Foreign Minister Joska Fischer was at the opening night of the festival. He said: “I think Europe needs to take a look at itself – that means seeing our diversity – the negative, horrible side of diversity is nationalism – but as a basic principle, diversity is something positive and I think a festival like this can give new inspirations.”

The opening night threw the spotlight firmly on female musicians. DJ Diane is influenced by Detroit techno and gave up classical music for it the first time she heard techno. She said: “I really had a good time; I had a great time on the dance floor and I really got into electro and I realised it was my thing. It was like a revelation and I knew I’d come back to the music but in my own different way.”

Kid A is a pseudonym for Anni T a singer, songwriter and producer from Virginia. USA. he said: “I think they are more willing and more open to new sounds here versus in America where the main stream top 40 TV chart rules more, and everybody wants that, like fast food, the sound of music and when I come over here I just love the openness.”

P.I.L.A.R is an indie musician and she explained: “I’ve never really seen any difference between men and women – we all have to express and defend our personalities, our sounds and our look.”

Vincent Carry, the director of the Nuits Sonores: Festival said: “The difference between today and the roots of techno is that now it’s more diverse, electronic culture has spread across all music fields, it’s mixed up with all sorts of other styles and artists today are increasingly unclassifiable and their projects are increasingly personal, individual, so that means a fantastic diversity for festival bookers.”

Rag heads up a collective of DJs, artists, photographers and authors of all sorts and styles. She said: “I think that there are still lots of DJs who just think of themselves, listen to themselves, and play music for themselves, and that’s perhaps part of the problem for some people. For myself I think that the key to success is knowing how to listen to people, listen to the dance floor and learn to see what people like right now.”

If you’re still agonising over which European music festivals to attend this year, if you’re tempted and want to find out more, or if you’re simply curious to know who’s playing where and when,try out euronews’ map of European festivals.